Dasylab

Data Acquisition, Controlling, and
Monitoring
DASYLab
June 2013
374212E-01
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Contents
About This Manual
Conventions ................................................................................................. xi
Related Documentation .............................................................................. xii
Chapter 1
Getting Started with DASYLab
Creating a Simple Worksheet .................................................................... 1-2
Calculating Online ..................................................................................... 1-5
Inserting Digital Instruments ..................................................................... 1-8
Saving Measurement Data......................................................................... 1-9
Saving Worksheets .................................................................................. 1-11
Chapter 2
Defining Measurements
Creating Worksheets.................................................................................. 2-1
Inserting and Connecting Modules.................................................... 2-2
Using the Browser and the Module Bars........................................... 2-4
Configuring Modules................................................................................. 2-4
Creating Partial Solutions in Black Boxes................................................. 2-6
Chapter 3
Visualizing Measurements
Display Windows and Input Instruments .................................................. 3-1
Selecting Display Modules ........................................................................ 3-3
Diagram ............................................................................................. 3-3
Chart Recorder................................................................................... 3-4
Y/t Chart ............................................................................................ 3-5
X/Y Chart .......................................................................................... 3-7
Polar Plot ........................................................................................... 3-7
Digital Meter...................................................................................... 3-8
List ..................................................................................................... 3-8
Analog Meter ..................................................................................... 3-8
Bar Graph........................................................................................... 3-8
Status Display .................................................................................... 3-9
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Contents
Selecting Input Modules ............................................................................ 3-9

Switch ................................................................................................ 3-9
Slider................................................................................................ 3-10
Coded Switch................................................................................... 3-10
Creating Layouts...................................................................................... 3-10
Active and Passive Layout Elements............................................... 3-12
Chapter 4
Hardware Setup
The Configurator ....................................................................................... 4-1
DLL Driver ................................................................................................ 4-3
Default Driver............................................................................................ 4-3
Interfaces.................................................................................................... 4-4
Using Online DDE............................................................................. 4-4
Exchanging Data over TCP/IP........................................................... 4-4
Using the OPC-DA Client ................................................................. 4-5
Reading and Writing ODBC Databases ............................................ 4-5
The RS232 Interface .......................................................................... 4-5
The IEEE-488 Interface..................................................................... 4-6
The IVI Interface ............................................................................... 4-6
Chapter 5
Controlling Measurements
Triggering over Control Inputs.................................................................. 5-1
Controlling with Actions ........................................................................... 5-2
Synchronous and Asynchronous Actions .......................................... 5-2
Control Sequencer ..................................................................................... 5-3
Global Strings and Variables ..................................................................... 5-5
Chapter 6
Programming Your Own Modules
Using the Script Module............................................................................ 6-1
Programming a Script ................................................................................ 6-2
Exporting a Script Module......................................................................... 6-4
Chapter 7
Configuring the Data Flow
Optimizing Processing Time ..................................................................... 7-3
Significant Digits ....................................................................................... 7-3
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DASYLab
Appendix A
The Module Groups
The Input/Output Modules Group ............................................................ A-1
The Trigger Functions Modules Group .................................................... A-2
The Mathematics Modules Group ............................................................ A-2
The Statistics Modules Group .................................................................. A-3
The Signal Analysis Modules Group........................................................ A-4
The Control Modules Group..................................................................... A-5
The Display Modules Group .................................................................... A-6
The Files Modules Group ......................................................................... A-6
The Data Reduction Modules Group........................................................ A-7
The Network Modules Group................................................................... A-7
The Special Modules Group ..................................................................... A-8
The Add-On Modules Group.................................................................... A-8
Appendix B
Tips and Tricks
Troubleshooting........................................................................................ B-1
Index
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | ix

About This Manual
Use this manual to learn how to run measurements and how to display
measurement data with DASYLab.
Chapter 1 explains how to select a module for each function. You connect the
modules in the worksheet and configure each module for your measurement.
Each exercise contains diagrams that illustrate the steps involved.
Chapter 2 explains how worksheets are organized and how to configure
modules. Use black boxes to create sub-worksheets, to integrate partial
solutions, and to increase the number of possible modules in the worksheet.
Chapter 3 explains how to use the display window and the input instruments.
In the layout you can create display screens and measurement records.
Chapter 4 explains standard drivers and DLL drivers of the installed
measurement hardware. Use DASYLab supported interfaces to access
external devices and programs.
Chapter 5 explains actions that execute module-related functions event-
driven, and variables and strings that transport information.
Chapter 6 explains the Script module with which you create a module with
the functions and settings you need for your task.
Chapter 7 explains the characteristic values of data flow in DASYLab:
Sampling rate and block size.
The appendix introduces the module groups and provides tips and tricks for
creating worksheets.
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this manual:
<> Angle brackets indicate a key you press to perform a function, for
example, <Ctrl> for the control key.
The symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box
options to a goal. FilePage Format instructs you to open the
menu item File and to select Page Format.
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | xi

About This Manual
This icon denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important

information.
bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the
software, such as menu items and dialog box options.
italic Italic text denotes emphasis, new terms, a cross reference, or an

introduction to a key concept.
mono- You enter text or letters in this type with the keyboard, for example,
space formulas or code extracts. This font is also used for the names of
drives, paths, folders, programs, sub-programs, sub-routines,
device names, functions, operations, commands, variables, control
elements, events, methods, filenames, filename extensions as well
as for comments extracted from the code.
mono- Bold text in this font denotes the messages and responses that the
space
Bold computer automatically outputs to the screen.
Related Documentation
For more information on DASYLab, refer to the following documentation:
DASYLab Help, which you open by selecting HelpContents, or by
pressing <F1>.
The DASYLab help offers dialog box help for each module and for each
function. If you select HelpExamples, you can load example
worksheets. The examples demonstrate worksheets of varying
complexity.
DASYLab Extension Toolkit
Use the Extension Toolkit to create your own DASYLab modules. The
Extension Toolkit contains the description of DASYLab interfaces and
the program code of some DASYLab modules. If you work with the
Extension Toolkit, you need C-programming and Windows
programming skills.
The shipped CD comprises the documentation and example files.
However several additional files are missing. You cannot create your
own extensions with these files and therefore you also need the
DASYLab Extension Toolkit.
xii | dasylab.com
Getting Started with
1
DASYLab
With DASYLab you can complete measurement, control, and simulation
tasks interactively on your screen. Select a module for each function and
position the module in the worksheet. The task determines how you connect
and configure the modules. To acquire data, DASYLab supports many
standard measurement and control boards and various interfaces in order to
communicate with external devices.
DASYLab has a number of measurement, control, and analysis modules:

Analog and digital inputs and outputs
Trigger functions
Mathematics and statistics functions
FFT and digital filters
Use the respective modules to create logical switches, and open and closed
loop controllers, or use the sequence generator to create exact, time-
dependent controls with complex control signals. You can save the
measurement data for later off-line analysis in different file formats.
The diagram, chart recorder, the Y/t Chart, and the X/Y Chart display your
measurement data as curves. The Diagram and the Digital Meter display your
data in numeric form. Freely scalable analog instruments, bar displays, and
status displays help with process controls and test controls.
Tip Appendix A, The Module Groups, lists all available

modules. The Configurator section of chapter 4, Hardware Setup,
describes the configuration of your installation.
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | 1-1

Chapter 1 Getting Started with DASYLab
Creating a Simple Worksheet

When DASYLab starts, the DASYLab worksheet window opens with the
menu bar at the top of the window, the function bar underneath, and the
browser on the left side of the window.
Complete the following steps to create a worksheet with a data source and a
display module:
1. Click the Modules tab in the browser.
a. Click the Plus sign next to the Control module group.
b. Select the Generator module and drag and drop the module into
the worksheet.
Specify the generator type in the dialog box that opens:
Figure 1-1. Generator Selection Dialog Box
c. Click OK to confirm the default setting. DASYLab inserts the

generator into the worksheet.
Use the generator module to create a hardware-independent worksheet
that you can use on every computer with a DASYLab installation. You
replace the Generator module later with the module of the installed
hardware, for example, the analog input of the NI-DAQmx driver.
2. Double-click the Generator module to open the dialog box. The first
channel outputs a rectangular waveform signal.
a. Click the Plus button next to the channel bar to activate a second
signal.
b. If you click the button of channel 1, the channel outputs a sine
waveform signal.
c. Click OK. DASYLab adds a second output to the generator.
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DASYLab
3. Click the Plus sign next to the module group Display in the browser.
a. Select the Y/t Chart module and drag and drop the module into the
worksheet.
b. Double-click the Y/t Chart module to open the dialog box.
c. Click the Plus button next to the channel bar to activate a second
input.
d. Click OK. DASYLab adds another input to the Y/t Chart.
If you use display modules such as the Y/t Chart module, DASYLab
creates an additional display window which appears minimized at the
bottom of the screen.
You must connect the modules with data channels to let the data flow.
4. To do so, click and hold the Y/t Chart module and drag the display
module to the Generator module until the chart inputs touch the
generator outputs.
When you release the mouse button, DASYLab automatically connects
the modules.
5. Click Start on the function bar to start a measurement.
If you start a measurement and you want to see the display, you must open
the display window.
6. Click Restore All Windows on the function bar. The Y/t Chart display
window opens and you can view the signals that the Generator module
generates, similar to Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2. Displaying Generated Signals
7. Right-click the Y/t Chart display window workspace to change the

display during the measurement.
a. Select DisplayWindowColors and Lines from the context
menu.
b. Click Drawing area in the Display elements list.
c. Click the Color button and select light yellow as new color for the
drawing area.
d. Click OK.
Figure 1-3 shows the colors and lines dialog box.
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DASYLab
Figure 1-3. Color and Line Display of a Display Window
e. Click OK. The drawing area of the Y/t Chart display window
changes to the new color.
8. Click Stop on the function bar to stop the measurement.
Tip You also can press <F5> to start the measurement,

<Ctrl-F6> to pause the measurement, and <Ctrl-F5> to stop the
measurement.
Calculating Online
Complete the following steps to run calculations with the Formula Interpreter
during the measurement.
1. Click the Plus sign next to the module group Mathematics in the
browser.
a. Select the Formula Interpreter module and drag and drop the
module into the worksheet.
b. Double-click the Formula Interpreter module to open the dialog
box.
c. Click the Plus sign under Input channels to create a second
channel input.
Note Do not click the Plus button next to the channel bar. That
creates a second channel output.

2. Click the input field Formula and enter the following formula:
IN(0)-IN(1)
The formula subtracts the values of the second input channel from the
values of the first input channel. Figure 1-4 shows the dialog box of the
Formula Interpreter:
Figure 1-4. Online Calculation with the Formula Interpreter
You also can use the buttons underneath the input field to enter terms
and operators. DASYLab inserts the selected terms into the formula at
the cursor position.
3. Click OK. DASYLab adds a second input to the Formula Interpreter.
For the online calculation, the Formula Interpreter must receive the generator
signals from two inputs and must output the results to the Y/t Chart.
4. Click the top data channel that connects the Generator and the
Y/t Chart. The mouse pointer now changes shape to a hand holding a
plug.
a. Drag this plug to Input 0 of the Formula Interpreter.
b. When the color of the Formula Interpreter input terminal changes
color, click Input 0 to connect the top data channel to the Formula
Interpreter.
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DASYLab
5. Repeat these steps to connect the bottom data channel to Input 1 of the
Formula Interpreter.
6. Double-click the Y/t Chart module to open the dialog box.
a. Click the Plus button next to the channel bar to create a third input.
b. Click OK. DASYLab adds another input to the Y/t Chart.
7. Click Output 0 of the Formula Interpreter and connect this output to
Input 2 of the Y/t Chart.
Tip To delete a data channel, right-click the data channel twice

with the right mouse button (not a double click).
8. Start a measurement.
The Y/t Chart display window now shows three curves: the sine signal,
the rectangular signal, and the calculated signal.
Figure 1-5. Displaying Generated and Calculated Signals
9. Stop the measurement after some time.

Inserting Digital Instruments

Complete the following steps to include a digital instrument in the worksheet.
1. Click the Plus sign next to the module group Display, in the browser.
a. Select the Digital Meter module and drag and drop the module
into the worksheet.
b. Double-click the Digital Meter module to open the dialog box.
c. Click the Plus button next to the channel bar twice to create two
additional inputs.
d. Click OK. DASYLab creates three inputs in the Digital Meter
module.
2. Double-click the Y/t Chart module to open the dialog box.
a. Click the Copy inputs check box.
b. Click OK.
DASYLab creates three outputs in the Y/t Chart module which output
the incoming data unchanged.
3. Drag the Digital Meter module to the Y/t Chart module until the chart
outputs touch the digital inputs.
the two modules with three data channels.
4. Click Restore All Windows on the function bar to open both display
windows.
5. Arrange the two display windows as shown in figure 1-6.
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DASYLab
Figure 1-6. Displaying Numeric Data in the Digital Meter
Saving Measurement Data

Complete the following steps to save the measurement data in a file.
1. Click the Plus sign next to the module group Files in the browser.
a. Select the Write Data module and drag and drop the module into
the worksheet.
b. Double-click the Write Data module to open the dialog box.
c. Click the Plus button next to the channel bar twice, to create two
additional inputs.
d. Click File and enter MyData.ddf as the file name.
e. Click Save to close the file dialog box.
f. Click OK. DASYLab creates three inputs in the Write Data
module.

2. Double-click the Digital Meter module to open the dialog box.

a. Click the Copy inputs check box.
b. Click OK. DASYLab creates three outputs in the Digital Meter
module.
3. Drag the Write Data module next to the Digital Meter module until the
digital meter outputs touch the inputs of the Write Data module.
the two modules with three data channels. The worksheet looks similar
to Figure 1-7.
Figure 1-7. The Worksheet Displays and Saves Data
Note You can examine the contents of every data channel

during a measurement. If you click a data channel, DASYLab
displays the data flow of this data channel as a curve in the FIFO
graph of the information block. In the FIFO list, DASYLab
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DASYLab
displays various parameters of this data channel such as the

sampling rate, the block size, and the current value.
Saving Worksheets
Complete the following steps to save the worksheet and all the settings:
1. Click Save on the function bar.
2. Enter MyWorksheet as the filename.

3. Click Save to close the file dialog box.
DASYLab saves the worksheet with the name MyWorksheet.dsb in
the DASYLab default folder which you specify under OptionsDefault
Folders. DASYLab automatically adds the filename extension .dsb.
The DASYLab window title bar now shows the new file name.

Defining Measurements
2
Use a worksheet to describe measurement, control, and display tasks. Select
a module for each function and connect the modules according to the task.
Double-click a module to configure the module. DASYLab transports data in
blocks from module to module. DASYLab does not output a new data block
until the current data block is completely filled with data. The data flow in
the worksheet goes from left to right.
Creating Worksheets
When you start DASYLab, the DASYLab worksheet window opens as
shown in Figure 2-1. You drag modules from the browser, drop the
modules in the workspace, and connect the modules according to the task.
You open measurement settings and start the measurement from the function
bar. During the measurement, the info block displays the data flow of the data
channel you click and the state of the internal buffer.
Figure 2-1. The Worksheet Window with Browser and Info Block

Chapter 2 Defining Measurements
The data flow starts on the left with a data source such as the input modules
of the installed hardware, the generator, or the input instruments. Scaling
modules and evaluation modules follow. On the right, the data flows into data
sinks such as the display modules and the file modules for saving data.
For example, if you want to acquire data from the installed plugin board from
National Instruments, select the data source Inputs/OutputsNI-DAQmx
Analog Input on the Modules tab of the browser and drag and drop the
module into the worksheet. Select DisplayChart Recorder and drag and
drop the module to the right of the Analog Input. To connect the two
modules, drag the Chart Recorder against the Analog Input until the chart
recorder inputs touch the outputs of the analog input. When you release the
mouse button, DASYLab automatically connects the modules. Click Start
on the function bar and double-click the title bar at the bottom of the screen
to open the chart recorder.
If you want to color and label function sections of the worksheet, you can
insert documentation frames into the worksheet. Documentation frames are
permanently visible in the background of the worksheet. They do not
influence the worksheet behavior. Right-click the workspace and select
Create Documentation Frame from the context menu. The cursor changes
its appearance to a cross with a sheet of paper. Drag open a frame in the
workspace. Double-click the documentation frame to enter comments and to
change the background color. If you want to create another documentation
frame, select Create Documentation Frame from the context menu. To
finish editing the documentation frame, disable Edit Documentation Frame
in the context menu.
Inserting and Connecting Modules

You can move one or several selected modules in the worksheet in order to
place each module at an appropriate position in the worksheet. If the
connecting data channels have nodes, you must first move the modules
individually and then move the nodes. Avoid long connections. Use the
setting Copy inputs in the display and other data sink modules to transfer
data unchanged to subsequent modules.
Activate the grid display in OptionsGlobal Setup to make it easier to

arrange the modules. The grid interval determines the minimum distance
between neighboring modules and should be greater than 16 points. You can
change the background color and the grid color in the context menu of the
worksheet.
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DASYLab
If you want to delete a module, select the module and press <Del>. If you
want to copy a selected module from the worksheet, including the settings,
click Copy on the function bar and then Paste. To replace a module with a
different module such as a generator with a hardware input right-click the
Generator and select Replace Module from the context menu. DASYLab
lists all available data sources that you can use to replace the generator. For
example, select Inputs/Outputs\NI-DAQmx\Analog Input for an
NI-DAQmx Analog Input. The module connections and the module name
remain the same after the replacement.
You can connect modules semi-automatically or manually. If you want to

connect several data channels simultaneously, use the semi-automatic
connection method. To do so, move the module inputs to the outputs of the
neighbor module on the left. DASYLab connects the data channel terminals
that are exactly opposite each other. You also can use this method if the
number of inputs of the module receiving data is not the same as the number
of outputs of the modules providing data, or if you do not want to connect all
inputs. You can connect other modules to the remaining free connections.
Use the manual connection method if you want to branch a data

channel. To do so, click a data channel. The cursor changes its
appearance to a hand with a plug symbol. Move this plug, for
example, to the input of a scaling module to convert the acquired
raw data. If you connect modules manually, the direction of the new data
channel is important: You connect a module input with another module
output, or you branch a data channel to a module output, or you connect a
module input with a data channel. Every data channel can have up to 15
nodes.
If you clicked the input or the output of a module without wanting to establish
a connection, you can terminate the action by clicking anywhere in the
worksheet.
If you want to delete a data channel, right-click the data channel twice. With
the first click the data channel changes its color and with the second click
DASYLab deletes the data channel. To delete all the module data channels,
right-click the module and select Delete Input Connections or Delete
Output Connections.
DASYLab does not permit open inputs, and in DAP boxes DASYLab does
not permit open outputs or open inputs. The Read Variable module ensures
that the worksheet always meets this requirement before the measurement

starts. For example, if you have a module with the same number of inputs and
outputs and you do not want to use one of the inputs in the worksheet, you
can read the data for this input from a variable.
Using the Browser and the Module Bars

The Modules tab on the browser on the left side of the screen provides all
modules that you installed with DASYLab and the selected drivers. The
modules are arranged thematically in a tree structure for example, inputs
and outputs with the hardware and interface modules, trigger functions,
mathematics, and display instruments.
The Navigator tab of the browser lists all the modules that the worksheet
contains. The navigator lists the modules in the order in which you inserted
the modules into the worksheet. In order to find and to select a module in a
complex worksheet, select the module on the Navigator tab and select Go to
Module from the context menu. DASYLab selects the module and displays
it in the center of the worksheet. To configure a module, select Open Dialog
Box from the context menu.
If you select ViewModule Bar, you can display a module bar with the most
frequently used modules. DASYLab displays the module bar on the left side
of the screen. Double-click the module symbol to insert the module
automatically in the workspace.
You can specify which modules to include on the module bar. Right-click a
module bar button and select New to open the selection dialog box. Scroll
through the list of available modules, select a module, and click OK to
confirm your selection. The button in the module bar now displays the
symbol of the new module. You can combine various task-related module
bars which you load according to the measurement task. Select EditModule
Bar to save the current module bar, to load a module bar, or to create a new
module bar.
Configuring Modules
The module inputs are on the left side and the module outputs are on the right
side of the module. Depending on the function of the module, the module
might only have inputs or only outputs. Modules that generate or acquire data
have only outputs. Modules that process data have inputs and outputs.
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DASYLab
Modules that display, save, or output data to the hardware by default have
only inputs.
You can change the number of terminals in the module dialog box
which opens when you double-click the module. For example, double-
click the generator module to open the module dialog box and specify
that the generator generates three signals. Figure 2-2 shows the channel bar.
Click the Plus button on the right next to the channel bar to create additional
channels. The channel bar denotes one orange plug symbol for each channel.
Click the Minus button to delete channels. In most modules you cannot
delete the first channel, but in some modules you cannot delete the first two
or three channels.
Figure 2-2. Generator Dialog Box Displays Three Data Channels
on the Channel Bar
For example, to create seven data channels, press <Ctrl> while double-
clicking channel 6. DASYLab creates seven channels. In order to disable
data channels down to the third data channel, right double-click channel 3
while pressing <Ctrl>. DASYLab disables all channels above channel 2.
To configure a channel, click the orange plug symbol on the channel bar. The
selected channel now denotes a green plug symbol. Use the settings
underneath the channel bar to configure this channel. The channel

configuration comprises the channel name, the unit, and all function-specific
settings. Channel 1 of the generator in Figure 2-2 generates a sine curve with
an amplitude of 4 volts and a frequency of 10 hertz.
If you want to configure several channels in one module in the same way, you
can copy the settings. Press <F8> to copy all the settings of the current
channel to the other channels. Press <F7> to copy only the selected setting to
other channels.
If you use a certain module configuration regularly, for example, the

hardware input Task AD, you can save the module settings as default
settings. Select Default Module Settings from the context menu. If you
insert an analog input of the NI-DAQmx driver into a worksheet, this Task
AD analog input now has the changed settings.
You cannot change the number of hardware inputs and hardware outputs
because the installed driver determines the settings. The module dialog box
shows as many plug symbols as the hardware module has inputs or outputs.
If a hardware device has analog and digital inputs, you must refer to the
description of the driver to find out how the channels are assigned to the
analog inputs and digital inputs.
If a hardware channel is disabled, the channel bar of the hardware

module depicts a blue plug symbol. To activate the channel, double-
click the blue plug symbol with the left mouse button. To disable an
active channel, double-click an orange or a green plug symbol with the right
mouse button.
Creating Partial Solutions in Black

Boxes
Use black boxes to create sub-worksheets in order to combine partial
solutions in a complex worksheet. At the same time, you increase the number
of possible modules the worksheet can contain by 255 with each black box.
A worksheet without a black box can contain a maximum of 256 modules.
You can insert up to 256 black boxes in one worksheet on the same
worksheet level or in a hierarchy in black boxes. This way you can arrange
partial solutions horizontally and vertically.
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DASYLab
To insert a black box in the worksheet, select SpecialEmpty

Black Box on the Modules tab of the browser and drag and drop
the module into the worksheet. Double-click the black box to
open the workspace of the sub-worksheet. The empty sub-worksheet takes up
the entire workspace of the worksheet screen. You work in a black box in the
same way as you work in the main worksheet: you drag and drop modules
from the browser and connect and configure the modules.
You establish a connection to the main worksheet or to the higher-ranking

black box with import and export modules. You must open a black box before
you can select the Export/Import module from the Special modules group
on the Modules tab in the browser. If you drag and drop an export/import
module into the black box, DASYLab opens a selection dialog box. Select
Import Data to create inputs to the black box. Select Export Data to create
outputs from the black box.
You can use only one import module and one export module with a maximum
of 16 channels each in every black box. The number of outputs does not
depend on the number of inputs. The block length and the data rate of the
inputs and outputs are also independent. If you need more than 16 inputs and
outputs in a black box, add the Multiplexer/Demultiplexer module. Use the
multiplexer to combine data from different data channels into one data
channel and the demultiplexer to distribute data from one data channel onto
several data channels.
To close a black box, click Close Black Box on the function bar. You
return to either the main worksheet or the higher-ranking black box.
Black boxes divide complex worksheets into functional sub-worksheets,

which you can export and import as partial solutions into other worksheets.
Before you can export a black box, you must open the black box and open the
properties dialog box via EditBlack BoxBlack Box Properties. Enter a
name and a unique three-figure code in the ID tag box to identify the module
on the module bar.
To save the open black box, open the Black Box tab of the browser. The
Black Box tab displays all the black boxes stored in the default folder, in a
tree view. Right-click this tree structure and select Save Open Black Box
from the context menu. Enter a filename such as MyBlackbox. DASYLab
saves all black boxes with the filename extension .dbb in the default folder
for black boxes under (Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Windows Vista
C:\User\Public\Documents\DASYLab\<Version Number\

<Language>\Blackbox and Windows XP C:\Documents and

Settings\All Users\Documents\DASYLab\<Version
Number>\<Language>\Blackbox).
To insert a black box into a worksheet, select MyBlackbox on the Black

Box tab of the browser and drag and drop the black box into the worksheet.
You can create sub-folders on the Black Box tab with the context menu in
order to sort your black boxes thematically.
The DAP box is a special black box which offers an individual

user interface to the processing functions of the DAP driver. If
the DAP hardware driver from Microstar Laboratories is
installed on your computer, you can select Inputs/Outputs
DAPDAP BoxNew on the Modules tab of the browser and drag and drop
a DAP box into the worksheet. You can use one DAP Box in the worksheet
for each installed DAP board.
In DAP boxes you create a worksheet solely with DAP modules. The DAP
board and not the computer processes the functions and data used in the DAP
box. Therefore you cannot use any other DASYLab modules in a DAP Box.
You establish a connection between the DAP board and the computer, that is,
between the DAP Box and the DASYLab worksheet via DAP export/import
modules.
You cannot use a DAP box or a black box to nest DAP boxes. Unlike a black
box you only can save a DAP box with the worksheet and cannot export it.
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Visualizing Measurements
3
DASYLab offers various modules for visualizing acquired and processed
measurement data. The diagram, the chart recorder, the Y/t chart, the x/y
chart, and the polar plot display your measurement data as curves. The list
and the digital meter display data in numeric form. Freely scalable analog
instruments, bar displays, and status displays help with process controls and
test controls.
Use the input instruments switch, slider, and coded switch to input values,
generate pulses, or trigger actions during a measurement. Display modules
and input modules have windows which you can position freely on the screen
and which you can configure during a measurement.
Use the DASYLab layout window to create the visualization screen. You
position display and input modules in the layout and add text and graphics.
You also can create several layouts to document your measurement. You print
out these layouts either manually or event related during the measurement.
You save the solution, which comprises the worksheet, the display screen,
and the documentation layout, in a file with the filename extension .dsb.
This way you can create solutions for each measurement task on your
computer in order to load the solutions onto the measurement system on site.
Display Windows and Input

Instruments
Every display module and every input instrument which you integrate into
the worksheet has its own window which DASYLab initially minimizes and
displays at the bottom of the screen. When you start a measurement, the
window does not open automatically.

Chapter 3 Visualizing Measurements
To open all windows simultaneously, click Restore All Windows on

the function bar. To open one individual window, double-click the title
bar of the window.
When you finish a measurement, the display windows and the input
instruments are visible in the foreground and cover the worksheet. To edit the
worksheet, click Minimize All Display Windows on the function bar.
DASYLab displays only the title bars at the bottom of the screen. To hide the
windows from the screen completely, click Hide All Display Windows on
the function bar. If you start a measurement now, you must click Show All
Windows to make the display windows and input instruments visible again.
Before, during, and after a measurement you can move and resize display
windows and input instruments. DASYLab saves the arrangement and the
size of the windows together with the worksheet. In each worksheet you can
save up to eight different arrangements in order to display other windows
during a measurement or to resize individual windows. To save the current
window arrangement select ViewSave Window Arrangement. For
example, enter MyScreen as the name and specify the position in the
selection list of the function bar. To select this saved window arrangement at
a later time, select MyScreen in the selection list. You also can use the key
combination <Alt> and the number of the window arrangement, for example,
<Alt1> for MyScreen. To input the numbers, use the numbers at the top of
your keyboard because DASYLab distinguishes these from the number pad.
To delete the current arrangement, select ViewDelete Current Window
Arrangement.
The display windows of the chart recorder, the Y/t chart, the x/y chart, the
polar plot, and the list have a menu bar and a function bar in order to change
the display during a measurement. You can display all connected data
channels in one axis system or each data channel in a separate axis system,
and you can change the axis scaling. You can zoom, scroll, and measure areas
in the display, and you can freeze the display and copy it to the clipboard and
print it.
If you connect several data channels to these display instruments, which

display measurement data as curves, the data channels must provide data of
the same type. You only can display continuous, triggered, spectral, or
histogram data in a display window. Triggered data has gaps between the
consecutive data blocks. Spectral data are results, for example, of an FFT and
histogram data is the result of a classification. Use several modules to display
different data in a worksheet. The chart recorder and the diagram are
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DASYLab
exceptions because they can process continuous data and triggered data
together in one module.
You configure input instruments, diagrams, analog and digital meters, status
displays, and bar displays in the module dialog box. For example, if you want
to integrate a rotary switch, select ControlCoded Switch on the Modules
tab of the browser. Click Options in the module dialog box and select Rotary
switch.
Selecting Display Modules

The following descriptions provide an overview of the functions of the
display windows and help you choose the right module for a certain task.
Diagram
Use the diagram to display data channels as curves in 2D axis systems. You
can use the diagram like the chart recorder, which plots the curves from right
to left, or like the Y/t chart, which plots the curves from left to right, or you
can use the diagram like the x/y chart, which plots the relationship between
channel pairs.
The diagram cannot only display all data channels in one axis system or every
data channel in a separate axis system, but can also combine selected data
channels in axis systems. DASYLab plots all curves over the same x-axis so
that you can compare the curves with each other. To display a further channel
in an axis system, right-click the axis system and select Add Channel from
the context menu and then select the data channel, for example,
Temperature. To remove a channel from an axis system, select Separate
Channel from the context menu. The diagram displays the separated channel
in a new axis system. You also can add and separate data channels during a
measurement. Before you start a measurement, you can change the heights of
the individual axis systems by moving the individual x-axes in the display
window. You scale the axes in the module dialog box.
To inspect the curve sections in detail and to review already displayed

measurement values, you must stop the display while the measurement
continues. To do so, right-click the display window and select Freeze. When
you freeze the display, you can move and zoom the curves. Use the mouse
wheel to zoom the curves horizontally: Press <Ctrl> and use the mouse wheel
to zoom the curves vertically, and press <Shift> and use the mouse wheel to
zoom in both directions. Use the left mouse button to move the curves

horizontally: Press <Ctrl> and the left mouse button to move the curves
vertically, and press <Shift> and the left mouse button to move the curves in
both directions. In horizontal direction you zoom and move all curves in all
axis systems because the curves all refer to a mutual x-axis. In vertical
direction you zoom and move curves only in the selected axis system. Use
the buttons on the toolbar to shift the curves in all axis systems step by step
in order to review already acquired data.
In the freeze mode you also can measure the curves. To do so, select Cursor
Mode from the context menu of the display window. The diagram displays
two movable cursor lines in all axis systems. In Figure 3-1 the legend
displays the values of the individual curves below the cursor lines. As soon
as the measurement restarts, the cursor lines disappear.
Figure 3-1. Measuring the Curves in the Diagram in Freeze Mode
Chart Recorder
Use the chart recorder to display data channels as curves in 2D axis systems
over time. The chart recorder plots the curve from right to left and is suitable
for recording slow long-term measurement data that has low sampling rates.
In the chart recorder, you can zoom the curves during a measurement, like in
the Y/t chart, in order to inspect curve sections in detail. Use the magnifying
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DASYLab
glass on the toolbar of the display window to zoom in or out of the section
repeatedly. DASYLab displays a scroll bar below the zoomed section with
which you can move the section.
In the Chart Recorder you can inspect one curve or all curves for a certain
event. You describe an event with a level and the level duration. For example,
DASYLab searches for an event with a level that exceeds 5 volt for at least
10 seconds. If the event search is successful, a green diode lights up and
displays the value. DASYLab zooms the curve section with the peaks in the
display window. If you search during the measurement, DASYLab freezes
the display. Click the buttons in the dialog box to search for and to display
the next peaks. As soon as you close the dialog box for the event search, the
chart recorder displays the curve with the specified sampling rate, however,
still zoomed. Click Zoom In to restore the original display.
Y/t Chart
Use the Y/t chart to display fast data acquired in kilohertz as curves over time
in 2D axis systems. Unlike the chart recorder, the Y/t chart plots the curve
from left to right. Like the chart recorder, the Y/t chart can refresh the display
continuously or after a specified number of data blocks. Then the curves can
be viewed unchanged for some time on the screen. In the wiper display, the
Y/t chart plots the curves continuously with a vertical line and overwrites the
old curves when the wiper has reached the end of the axis system. The wiper
mode provides an overview over the development of the measurement
values.
You also can use the Y/t chart to display data channels as a 3D waterfall
display or as a 3D color sonogram. You enable and configure the 3D display
in the menu of the display window. If you enable the waterfall diagram, you
must select which connected data channel the Y/t chart is to display in 3D.
The waterfall display shows the last plotted curves for this data channel in a
cascaded display. The curve in the foreground shows the current data. The z-
axis reflects the data history that you can track with the measurement time or
the block number. Figure 3-2 shows the last ten results of a Fast Fourier
analysis with hidden-line calculation that deletes all hidden lines.

Figure 3-2. Waterfall Display of an Online FFT
The color sonogram, which is similar to the temperature maps of the

meteorologists, displays the first data channel that is connected to the
Y/t chart in a color sonogram. To do so, the Y/t chart divides the data into 256
classes so that each class covers a specific value area. The Y/t chart assigns
a color to each class. In Figure 3-3, high values are red and the low values are
blue. The color sonogram plots the color values for each data block rowwise
from bottom to top, so that the current color values are at the bottom and the
oldest color values are at the top.
Figure 3-3. A Color Sonogram Displays Data as Colors. The Bottom Row
Displays the Current Data Block.
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DASYLab
X/Y Chart
Use the x/y chart to display several data channel pairs as xy-curves or as
vectors in 2D axis systems. To display an oscilloscope with the x/y chart,
enable the setting Circular grid. Select a high number of data blocks after
which DASYLab refreshes the display, so that DASYLab plots a curve and
not the last data pair as a point.
Every data channel of a channel pair and also the data channel pairs of a
module must always contain the same type of data. You can display several
data channel pairs in one axis system or in separate axis systems.
Polar Plot
Use the polar plot to display a data channel pair in one polar axis system. If
you select the X/Y coordinates display, DASYLab plots an xy-curve, if you
select Draw source vector, DASYLab plots the vector of the last data pair.
The two data channels must always contain the same type of data. Label the
curve or the top of the vector in regular intervals with the values of the third
data channel to be connected. Figure 3-4 displays the sampled surface of a
shaft as an xy-coordinate.
Figure 3-4. Display of the Surface of a Shaft in the Polar Plot

Digital Meter
Use the digital meter to display the values of the connected data channels
numerically. By default the digital meter displays the current value.
However, the digital meter also can display the mean value, the root mean
square, the minimum, or the maximum of the current data block. You can add
a trend display, which shows whether the last value was greater or smaller
than the previous value, to the digital meter. DASYLab displays if the upper
limit is exceeded or the lower limit is undershot, with color changes. If
several data channels are connected, each data channel has its own digital
meter in the display window.
List
Use the list module for the numeric display of data channels in a table. The
table displays one column for each data channel. The first column can display
the measurement time, the time, or the measurement numbers. Whereas the
digital meter always displays the current value, you can look back at previous
measurement values with the scroll bar in the list module.
Analog Meter
Use the analog meter to display the values of the connected data channels in
a gauge display. By default the analog meter displays the current value.
However, the analog meter also can display the mean value, the root mean
square, the minimum or the maximum of the current data block. If several
data channels are connected, each data channel has its own analog meter in
the display window. The scale can comprise a quarter circle or a three-quarter
circle like a tachometer. You can highlight the upper or the lower limit range
of a scale in color, you can enable the trend display, and you can select the
greatest and the smallest measured value with a drag indicator.
Bar Graph
Use the bar graph to display values of the connected data channels as bars,
triangles, thermometers, or as LEDs. By default the bar graph starts at the
smallest value on the scale. For example, if the value range is -10 to +10,
you can set the start point to zero at the center of the value range. Therefore
you can see during the measurement whether the bar is in the positive or in
the negative range. If the upper limit is exceeded or the lower limit is
undershot, DASYLab displays this with color changes so that, in the LED
display, for example, red diodes light up in the upper limit range and blue
diodes light up in the lower limit range.
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DASYLab
By default the bar graph displays the current value. However, like the digital
meter or the analog meter, the bar graph also can display the mean value, the
root mean square, the minimum, or the maximum of the current data block.
Status Display
Use the status display to display states and not values. By default the status
display shows two states: OFF, the lamp is red, and ON, the lamp is green.
The threshold value is 1.5. You can increase the number of states if you
display graphics instead of lamps. To do so, assign a graphic to every value
range. For example, if you have three graphics of a valve, the status display
shows a closed valve in the range 0 to 1, a half-open valve in the range 1 to
2, and an open valve in the range above 2.
You also can use the status display as a bit display that converts every value
into 16 bit integer values and displays an LED for each of the 16 bits.
Selecting Input Modules

The following descriptions provide an overview of the functions of the input
instruments and help you choose the right module for a certain task.
Switch
Use the switch to output TTL signals manually during a measurement and to
enable triggers, actions, or modules that have a control input. A TTL signal
has either the value 0 or 5. The switch types On/Off switch and Switch
output a signal with a constant value of 5 until you click the button again. The
Push button outputs the TTL signal only as long as you press this button and
the One shot switch outputs the signal after you click for the length of a data
block. If you enable several data channels in the module, you can create
several different switches side by side or on top of each other.
The switches Start/Stop and Pause/Continue are different from the other
switch types. These switches have no outputs because they affect the whole
worksheet. You can use these switches to stop or to pause a measurement and
to restart a measurement. Use these switches, for example, in the layout to
control a measurement in the full-screen mode.

Slider
Use the slider to generate varying signals manually with a Scroll bar, a
Slider or a Rotary switch during a measurement. The value range specifies
the smallest and the greatest value and the resolution specifies the intervals
between the individual values. If you enable several data channels in the
module, you can create several varying sliders side by side or on top of each
other. However, you can use only one slider type in a module. Move the
slider with the mouse to the value that the manual slider outputs. Use the
slider to change the settings of other modules during a measurement, for
example, the amplitude of the generator.
Coded Switch
Use the coded switch to manually output one of several values previously
entered during a measurement. Turn the Rotary switch stepwise to the value,
and DASYLab outputs this value as soon as you release the rotary switch. If
you use the Button switch, click the respective button and for the List box
select the value from a list. You can create four coded switches side by side
or on top of each other. However, you can only use one switch type in a
module. Use the coded switch, for example, to control an actuator with up to
16 positions. You specify the positions in the coded switch and can then
accurately approach each position.
Creating Layouts
Create layouts to visualize and to document your measurements. In a layout
you combine display windows with text and graphics to design visualization
screens. You can create multiple customized layouts for visualization and
documentation. You use actions driven by events to exchange the layout
displayed on the screen or to print out measurement reports.
To create a layout, click Layout on the function bar. DASYLab creates

a new layout in the layout window if you have not yet created a layout.
In the layout window you work with an additional toolbar to place layout
elements in the workspace. Layout elements are graphic links to display
windows and input instruments, texts, logos, frames, and lines. To edit
sections of the layout in more detail, right-click and select Zoom from the
context menu.
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DASYLab
Figure 3-5. Screen Layout with Display Windows and Switches
To create a display window like the Y/t chart in the layout, click Link
Graphic on the toolbar and drag open the rectangle anywhere in the
layout. Double-click the empty rectangle and select the Y/t Chart from the
module drop-down list. When you start a measurement, DASYLab displays
the values in the layout just like in the display window of the Y/t chart.
To insert a logo, click Bitmap on the toolbar and drag open a rectangle.
Double-click the rectangle and select the logo file.
For each worksheet you can create up to 200 layouts with WindowNew
Layout. To delete the layout, select WindowDelete Layout Page. During
a measurement you can use the selection list in the layout window function
bar to change the layout, or you can use event-driven actions. Refer to
Controlling with Actions in Chapter 5, Controlling Measurements, for more
information about actions.
Specify the size of the workspace in the Layout Page Setup dialog box
which you access from the context menu. You can specify the page size, the
screen display, and various paper formats for the online documentation. You

also can enter a name for the layout which DASYLab displays in the
selection list on the function bar. Select Layout Settings from the context
menu to limit mouse operation to input instruments or to enable the full-
screen mode when a worksheet is loaded.
Press <Ctrl-F> to enable the full-screen mode during the measurement.

DASYLab hides all worksheet elements such as the function bar, the title bar,
the module bar, the browser, and the info block. In full-screen mode you start
a measurement with <F5> and stop the measurement with <Ctrl>-F5. Press
<Ctrl-F> to leave full-screen mode and to return to the layout window.
If you insert an action module in the worksheet and, for example, connect it
to a button, you can trigger an action in the layout with this button. For
example, you can change the layout, save it as a graphic, or print out specific
layouts for specific measurement situations.
Active and Passive Layout Elements

In the layout you position the layout elements in the workspace, specify the
size, and align the layout elements to each other. DASYLab differentiates
between the active layout elements such as graphic links and text links, and
the passive layout elements such as text, logos, frames, and lines.
DASYLab inserts the active layout elements as a link in the

layout. You can include every display module and input module
that the worksheet contains in a graphic link. In text links you only can
include digital instruments to display measurement values numerically.
You can zoom in on diagrams, Y/t chart displays, x/y chart displays, and chart
recorder displays in the layout during a measurement. Press the <Ctrl> key
and drag open the area with the mouse button. You can zoom multiple times.
To undo the last zoom, press the <Ctrl> key and right-click the zoomed area.
You can operate input instruments such as the switch or the slider in the
layout, for example, to execute selected functions in the full-screen mode.
Passive layout elements are layout labels or decorations and are not linked to
the modules in the worksheet. Passive layout elements are graphical objects
such as lines, circles, ellipse outlines, rectangles, filled ellipses, or texts. You
can use figures in BMP format or WMF format as a background picture or as
a logo. DASYLab creates a reference to the graphic file but does not integrate
the file in the layout. If you copy a worksheet with a layout to a different
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DASYLab
computer, you must also copy the graphic files into the respective folder. If
you select OptionsDefault Folders, you can find the name and the path of
the folder Other.
Use the Text line layout element to include simple titles or comments in the
layout. You can rotate a text line, for example, to position the text vertically
next to a display window. Use the layout element Text block to create
multiline continuous text. Use variables and strings to display the current
time, the date, or other system information in the layout.

Hardware Setup
4
DASYLab supports many standard measurement and control boards and
various interfaces in order to communicate with external devices. When you
install DASYLab, you select the DASYLab driver for your measurement
acquisition board.
DASYLab distinguishes between DLL drivers that you can use in a

worksheet with other hardware drivers and default drivers that you cannot
use with other hardware drivers. The sound driver is a default driver. The
NI-DAQmx driver is a DLL driver you can combine with other drivers in a
measurement.
Specify in the configurator the hardware driver for the device you are using.
The configurator displays the first time when the installation is complete in
order to, for example, request the license number.
The Configurator
Use the configurator to configure the DASYLab installation according to
your tasks. You can call the configurator any time from the Windows start
menu, for example, to register the driver for a new hardware, to activate the
evaluation version with a valid license number, or to execute an upgrade.
The configurator in Figure 4-1 lists all packages available on your computer.
The list includes different hardware drivers and field bus systems. The status
indicates whether a package already belongs to the DASYLab installation
and the version number indicates how recent the package is. Click Enable to
use the selected package in DASYLab. Click Disable to remove the selected
package from DASYLab. The package is not disabled or enabled until you
click OK.

Chapter 4 Hardware Setup
Figure 4-1. Available Packages in the Configurator
You can import packages which you receive from the manufacturers or which
you download from the DASYLab website. Packages contain, for example,
all files for a driver or for a function extension, or special worksheet
collections. You also can update packages because a package with a higher
version number can replace the earlier package.
The DASYLab developer can also use the configurator to create his own
packets. Use the packet definition where you define files and the actions you
need for the installation of your functions.
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DASYLab
DLL Driver
DLL drivers have their own interface and can run parallel with other
hardware drivers. Apart from a few exceptions, the hardware drivers for all
DASYLab supported hardware are DLL drivers. After installation, the
modules for National Instruments hardware are on the Modules tab of the
browser under Inputs/OutputsNI-DAQmx. Open Measurement
Hardware SetupNI-DAQmx to configure the hardware. If you want to
configure individual tasks, open MeasurementMeasurement Setup
NI-DAQmxMeasurement Setup.
The NI-DAQmx driver accesses a configuration program from the hardware

manufacturer. Before you can install the NI-DAQmx driver, you must install
the Measurement Automation Explorer (MAX). The driver software is
supplied with the measurement hardware.
Default Driver
Default drivers use the DASYLab default driver interface because these
drivers do not have their own interface. If you install several default drivers,
you only can use one default driver at a time. For example, if you want to
measure with the sound card, select MeasurementDriver Selection
Sound Card (Figure 4-2). Then you must end and restart DASYLab so that
DASYLab stores the driver settings.
Figure 4-2. Default Driver for Sound Cards
Everywhere in DASYLab where you can select a Driver or Hardware, you

now find the settings and the modules of the sound card. The sound card
modules are on the Modules tab of the browser under Inputs/Outputs
Driver. Open MeasurementHardware SetupDriver to configure the
hardware. Open MeasurementMeasurement SetupDriver to configure

the measurement. To open the help for the default driver open Help
Hardware.
Interfaces
In DASYLab you also can request data over the DDE, TCP/IP, OPC, ODBC,
RS232 and IEEE interface from other programs or external devices.
Using Online DDE

You can exchange data with other programs that run parallel on the same
computer via the DDE interface (Dynamic Data Exchange). The modules for
these interfaces are on the Modules tab of the browser under Inputs/
OutputsDDE. DASYLab can request data as a DDE client or, as a DDE
server, can provide data and execute commands.
If DASYLab acts as a DDE server, you must enter the address in the module:
Application: Name of the DDE server or of the executing program.
Enter DASYLAB.
Topic: Data area the client accesses. Enter SetData.
Name: Module name of the DDE input module.
To establish the communication, the server must start first and then the client.
DASYLab transfers the data in ASCII format.
Exchanging Data over TCP/IP

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol and is
the basis for the internet and also the intranet. The data source (server) can be
a DASYLab installation that provides data to a higher-ranking application
(client). The modules for these interfaces are on the Modules tab of the
browser under Inputs/OutputsICOM.
The Host IP address specifies the communication partner in the network. You
can enter the IP address as a number, such as 111.100.101.111, or as the
name of the client such as the computer name or web address. The transport
protocol, such as WWW, POP3, or FTP, determines the port address. DASYLab
appends the value of the port address to the IP address with a colon. For
example, if you select WWW, DASYLab displays the IP address as
111.100.101.111:80.
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DASYLab
Using the OPC-DA Client

Use the OPC interface (OLE for Process Control) to connect DASYLab as a
client with field bus systems and other hardware, provided OPC servers are
available as external drivers. DASYLab receives data from registered OPC
servers only. OPC modules are on the Modules tab of the browser under
Inputs/OutputsOPC-DA Client. DA stands for Data Access.
During a measurement DASYLab requests data from an OPC server or

outputs data to this OPC server. For DASYLab as the client, it is irrelevant
where the OPC server is located. The following situations are possible:
The server is located on the same computer as the client. In this case the
server is called a local server which runs locally on a computer but in a
different address space than the client application. The communication
between the OPC client and the OPC server runs slower than with an
InProcess server, because Windows must transfer the data from the
server process to the client process.
The server is located on a remote computer and can be accessed over the
network. This is a remote server. The communication between the OPC
client and the OPC server runs slower because Windows must transfer
the data from the server computer to the client computer over a network.
Reading and Writing ODBC Databases

DASYLab reads and writes data and additional information to ODBC (Open
Data Base Connectivity) databases via the ODBC interface. DASYLab can
access every database that is registered as a data source, via the Windows
ODBC administrator. The modules for these interfaces are on the Modules
tab of the browser under Files.
The ODBC modules do not have inputs or outputs because DASYLab uses
variables and strings to exchange data. Actions control the data exchange
event-driven.
The RS232 Interface

Via the RS232 interface DASYLab receives data and text from external
measurement devices or sends data and control commands to measurement
devices that are connected to the serial interface. The received character
strings can contain measurement values and any text to which DASYLab
assigns strings. The RS232 Input module can receive measurement values
and texts on one data channel or on separate data channels. The RS232

Output module outputs values or character strings which the module reads
from strings and variable. The modules for these interfaces are on the
Modules tab of the browser under Inputs/OutputsRS232.
Use the RS232 monitor to configure an external device. You can send strings
and read in measurement values to see immediately whether the data contains
control characters.
The IEEE-488 Interface

DASYLab receives data from hardware connected to IEEE boards via the
IEEE-488 interface or DASYLab outputs data via this hardware. The
modules for these interfaces are on the Modules tab of the browser under
Inputs/OutputsIEEE 488.
You can operate up to 15 measurement devices on one IEEE board. If you

output data to several devices, you must insert a separate IEEE Output
module for each measurement device and in the worksheet each device must
use a different device number.
The IVI Interface

DASYLab receives data from hardware devices, which support the IVI
interface (Interchangeable Virtual Instrument). The modules IVI Counter,
IVI DCPower, IVI Digital Multimeter, IVI Switch, and IVI Scope are on
the Modules tab of the browser under Inputs/OutputsIVI.
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Controlling Measurements
5
The data flow and the sequence of the modules in the worksheet determine
the measurement process. You use triggers, input instruments, controllers,
and actions to control the measurement. You use actions to execute module-
specific functions when an event occurs. DASYLab executes these actions in
the background without data channels, unlike other control modules. During
a measurement you can read in, process, and output characteristic values and
text from variables and strings.
A sequence control is a sequence of worksheets that you link via actions. You
use variables and strings to transfer results from one worksheet to the next
worksheet.
Triggering over Control Inputs

Some modules have a control input with which you can trigger
the module or control a function in the module. The control input
is always at the first position in the connection bar of a module
and displays an X with a yellow background.
In the Relay the signal at the control input determines the output of the data
at the inputs. As long as there is a TTL High signal, the relay outputs the data.
The value 0 corresponds to TTL Low and the value 5 corresponds to TTL
High. The threshold between TTL Low and TTL High is 1.5, which means
that the relay does not output data as long as the value at the control input is
smaller than 1.5.
The Differentiation/Integration module does not expect a TTL signal at the

control input but evaluates the data signal. You can specify different
conditions for starting and ending mathematical calculations in this module.
Other modules such as Switch, Signal Router, and Select Values use the
signal at the control input as an index to specify the input or the output.

Chapter 5 Controlling Measurements
Controlling with Actions

The Action module executes event-related, module-specific
functions such as resetting mathematical calculations, changing
the display screen, or stopping the measurement. Like a trigger
module the action module monitors whether the connected input channels
meet the specified conditions. However, when a condition is met, the action
module does not output a TTL signal which influences the data flow in the
worksheet, but activates a module-specific function which runs in the
background. Therefore, the action module has only inputs but no outputs,
unlike trigger modules.
For example, you can use an action to print the chart recorder display of a
temperature measurement when the temperature exceeds a certain value. To
do so, select SpecialAction on the Modules tab of the browser and connect
the input of the Action module with the monitored data channel
Temperature. Open the dialog box to specify the action. First select the
receiver Recorder, then the module specific action Print, and finally the
trigger event Threshold value exceeded. Enter 50 as the Threshold value.
When you start the measurement, DASYLab prints the current recorder
display as soon as the temperature exceeds 50C.
You can monitor up to 16 different data channels with one action module or
one data channel for which you can specify up to 16 different actions. You
can select modules, or individual module channels, or DASYLab as the
receiver if you want to execute actions that affect the entire worksheet. Many
actions require additional information such as the name and the path of the
data file to be created.
To open an overview of all actions defined in the worksheet, select Options

Overview of Actions. The list contains the names of the action modules, the
actions, the trigger events, and the receivers. You can open a second list that
contains only the actions of one action module via OptionsAction List.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Actions

DASYLab differentiates between synchronous and asynchronous actions.
DASYLab executes synchronous actions at the data block that meets the
condition. To do so, the data block must arrive at the action module and the
module that receives the action synchronously and must have the same block
start time. For example, use synchronous actions to print visualized data in
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DASYLab
real-time. The synchronization is like an additional invisible data channel

which uses computing time even when DASYLab is not executing an action.
DASYLab executes asynchronous actions directly after the condition is met.

An asynchronous action influences the data block processed by the executing
module. This need not be the data block that triggered the action. Use
asynchronous actions when the action is independent of the data to be
processed, for example, connecting and disconnecting channels to display
modules.
DASYLab executes asynchronous actions fast. If DASYLab does not trigger

an action, asynchronous actions do not need extra computing time, except for
the monitoring of the input channels.
Control Sequencer
Use the control sequencer as a worksheet test executive. The sequencer
connects worksheets and controls the sequence of worksheets using actions.
For example, use a sequencer to run different tests with different worksheets
in one experiment. The first worksheet generates calibration settings and
transfers these settings to the next worksheet. Then the second worksheet
controls the measurement acquisition and saves the measurement values in a
file. Finally the last worksheet analyzes and displays the measurement
values.
To create a sequencer for this test, click Sequencer on the function bar.
DASYLab opens the sequencer program window. Right-click the
Unknown root entry and select New Worksheet from the context menu. For
example, load the Calibration worksheet. Then load the worksheets
Measure and Analyze consecutively. Right-click the first worksheet
Calibration and select Set Start Worksheet.
Then create the actions that control the worksheet sequence. Right-click the
Calibration worksheet and select New Action from the context menu.
Select the condition that the value of the variable VAR_101 changes and then
select the action Load and start of the Measurement worksheet. Then
create a second similar action which loads and starts the worksheet
Analysis due to a value change of the VAR_2 variable.
If you now start the measurement, DASYLab loads the Calibration

worksheet. The calibration runs until an action in this worksheet assigns a
new value to the VAR_101 variable. Then DASYLab loads the Measure

worksheet and runs the measurement until the variable VAR_102 receives a
new value. DASYLab loads the Analyze worksheet and displays the
measured values in the open display windows.
The sequencer window shows the worksheets and the actions in a tree display
as in Figure 5-1. Use the context menu to enter comments about each
worksheet that explain the sequence and appear with the worksheet name in
the sequencer tree. The worksheet that starts the sequencer is additionally
labeled Start. The condition and the function to execute is specified behind
each action.
Figure 5-1. Sequencer for Calibration and Analysis
Move the worksheets in the sequencer window to change the sequence. Move
an action to create a copy of the action. Use the context menu to delete
worksheets and actions and to edit actions.
To save the sequence, click Save on the function bar of the sequencer.
DASYLab saves sequences with the filename extension dsq. If you execute
a sequence on another computer, you must copy the current worksheets into
the folder specified on the target computer under OptionsDefaultFolders.
A DSQ file contains only references to the worksheets.
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DASYLab
Global Strings and Variables

DASYLab provides 999 variables and strings in order to read, to change, and
to transfer individual values and text stings during a measurement. For
example, you can read the number of processed values in the Statistical
Values module, you can specify the number of classes in the Histogram
Classification module, or you can specify the file and path and change them
during a measurement in the Write Data module.
You can use a variable or a string for most module settings for which you
usually enter a value or a text. Right-click the input field and select Global
Variable or Global String. DASYLab opens the overview where you select
a variable or a string. When you select the first free variable, DASYLab
specifies the identifier ${VAR_1}. When you select the first free string,
DASYLab specifies the identifier ${STR_1}. In addition to the free
variables and strings you can use system variables such as the measurement
time ${ELAPSED_TIME}, and system strings such as the current date
${DATE}.
DASYLab offers a selection of variable numbers for module settings that

write a value into a variable. Select an index number for the variables to be
used.
Select OptionsGlobal Variables and StringsGlobal Variable/String

Overview for an overview of variables and strings. Folders with free and
used variables or strings are listed on the left side of the tree display. If you
click a variable, the table on the right lists the definition of this variable. If
you open the tree on the left further, you find the folder with the accessing
modules and the read and write data channels. If more than one data channel
writes into the same variable, a red folder symbol warns of write conflicts.
If you want to assign a value manually to a variable during a measurement,

open OptionsGlobal Variables and StringsDefine Global Variables. To
assign a text to a string, open OptionsGlobal Variables and Strings
Define Global Strings. In these dialog boxes you also can edit the default
configuration of variables and strings before and after a measurement. For
example, you can assign names to variables and strings, which DASYLab
displays instead of the system names. You can select several variables and
strings to assign the same value to these variables and strings.
DASYLab saves the definitions of the variables and strings together with the
worksheet. For other worksheets to use these configurations, select Options

Global Variables and StringsExport Global Variable/String to export

the variables and strings into a file with the filename extension .var. If you
want to import the configuration, select OptionsGlobal Variables and
StringsImport Global Variable/String in the target worksheet and enter
the same VAR file. You cannot edit VAR files because these files have a
binary format.
If you want to transfer only the value of a variable or of a string from one
worksheet to the next, enable the settings Write to INI file when
measurement stops or Read from INI file when measurement starts in
the global variable or global strings definition dialog box. When the
measurement stops, DASYLab saves the last value of the variable or of the
string in this INI file in order to read them when a new worksheet starts. To
do so, both worksheets must contain these variables and strings.
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Programming Your Own
6
Modules
In DASYLab, modules are function units. The module is the container in
which the functions are embedded. The worksheet combines several modules
in order to acquire, scale, analyze, and display data. You configure the
modules to tailor the functions to your application.
The script module enables you to program functions yourself. To do so, the
script module offers the container, which has no functions. You create the
functions with a script which can run in this container. For example, you can
create module inputs and module outputs for measurement hardware not
supported by default. You can program mathematical functions for a
processing module in order to analyze data. However, you cannot create
visualization modules as a script module.
Using the Script Module

The script module is in the Special modules group in the
browser. If you select the module in the browser and drag it into
the worksheet, the dialog box Predefined Settings opens. The
predefined settings specify the number of inputs and outputs and their
connections. This specifies the tasks for which you want to use the module.
Modules that read data from a file and pass this data on to the worksheet, only
need outputs. Modules that receive data from the worksheet and write this
data into a file, only need inputs. Modules that process data need inputs and
outputs.
After you have specified the predefined settings, DASYLab creates a script
module. DASYLab saves the predefined settings as binary data in the
module, which means you cannot view or change the predefined settings. At
the same time the script which you want to create must be based on these

Chapter 6 Programming Your Own Modules
predefined settings. For example, you cannot load a script for an output
module into an input module later on.
In the script module you now specify the type of data to be processed.
Double-click the module and select Channel Properties. In the channel
properties dialog box you specify which data the script module accepts at its
inputs and which data the module outputs. If the module processes only
continuous time data, you do not need to make any settings. If the module
processes spectral data or histogram data, or if the data has gaps or data
blocks that differ in length, you must change the settings. The channel
properties impact all data channels of the module. Like all DASYLab
modules, the script module can contain up to 16 data channels which you can
specify in the script together with the block size and the sampling rate of the
data.
DASYLab saves the channel properties as binary data in the script module.
However, you can view and change the channel properties while you develop
your module. As soon as you export the module and include it in the
application, DASYLab closes this access.
Like all DASYLab modules, the script module has a channel bar where you
select the data channels before a measurement. The settings are on two tabs:
Channel for the channel settings and Module for the module specific
settings. The first time you open the module dialog box, you find the three
parameters a, b, and c on the two tabs . These parameters are placeholders
for the settings which you still have to define in the script.
Programming a Script
You program the functionality of the script module in a script. Click Edit in
the module dialog box to create a script on several tabs. Each tab represents
a specific module function which the module calls at specific events such as
the start of the measurement or opening the module dialog box. The
following overview is a list of the individual module functions:
info, pvar These module functions provide variables which specify
the module properties. In info you initialize the variables which
DASYLab saves with the worksheet. In pvar you create temporary
variables which are only available during the measurement.
DlgInit, DlgEvent, DlgOK, DlgCancel These module functions
specify the settings in the module dialog box. In DlgInit you specify the
settings for the module and for each channel. In DlgEvent you define
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DASYLab
the dependencies between the settings, for example, in order to first

select the Color and then enable the color selection. In DlgOK you
transfer the values the user entered into the module to the variables
when the user clicks OK. In DlgCancel you reset the module
initializations if the user clicks Cancel.
SetupFifo This module function specifies the channel properties of
the data blocks. In SetupFifo you check whether the module can
process the incoming data and transfer the properties of the data to be
output to the subsequent modules. If the module has no inputs, the
output channels receive the default values. If the module has no inputs,
DASYLab does not call the SetupFifo.
ProcessData, ProcessValue These module functions process the
data. DASYLab calls the main function ProcessData regularly during
the measurement in order to read or process data from a measurement
hardware or to write the data into a file, or to output data to the
measurement hardware. ProcessData can call ProcessValue in order to
process single values.
Start, Stop These module functions refer to the measurement. In
Start you define the measurement preparation and in Stop the
measurement feedback.
Load, Save These module functions specify the loading and saving
of the module in the worksheet. In Load you prepare the module for the
measurement. In Save you prepare the module for the storage.
Create, Delete These module functions specify how the script
module is created and deleted in the worksheet. In Create you specify
the number of inputs and outputs and also the channel assignment. In
Delete you define clean up operations such as closing files or
disconnecting hardware.
You program the individual module functions in the Python programming

language. Python has a simple syntax and a complex command structure.
DASYLab provides special script functions for data handling, channel
definitions, and the settings in the module dialog box. During the
programming process, you test the functionality of your module in the
worksheet and save the module with the worksheet.
If you have programming experience, you can also edit the script in an
external editor. In an external editor you can view the complete script and use
the editing functions of the selected editor for programming. Click Use
External Editor in the module dialog box and save the script as a file.

Chapter 6 Programming Your Own Modules
DASYLab creates a text file with the filename extension .py. In the module
you can no longer edit the script you saved externally. Instead you must load
the script file into the module in order to test the programmed module
functions. If you use the script file in a different script module, this module
must have the same predefined settings and channel settings as the original
script module. You select the external editor in the configurator.
Exporting a Script Module

The reason for programming script modules is to have new modules in
DASYLab. Users can select the new modules in the browser and configure
them after inserting them in the worksheet. If you want to share a script
module with another user, you must export the script with the programmed
script. You then generate a script package from one or several exported script
modules and register this script package in DASYLab.
In the first step, you double-click the script module and select Export.
DASYLab opens the export dialog box with the basic settings and the
optional additions. Enter, for example, UserFunction on the Basic
Settings tab as the name for the module and select the module group Special.
Specify the folder in which DASYLab saves all files for the new module. On
the Additions tab you can assign a help file and a graphics symbol to the
module.
Note Note that entries and filenames are case-sensitive. Python

as well as DASYLab differentiate between names that are only
lower case and those that are also upper case
(newmodules<>NewModules).
In the second step, you open OptionsCreate Script Package and enter the
name of the script package (MyModule), the source folder with the exported
script modules, and the destination folder for the script package. In the
destination folder, DASYLab creates a script package with the filename
extension .dly (MyModule.dly). A script package is similar to a function
library.
In the third step, you register the generated script package in DASYLab. An
entry in dasylab.ini in the [Extend] section is sufficient to test the
script package on the test computer. Enter the name of the package and the
filename extension, for example, DLL5=MyModule.dly. If you then start
DASYLab, the new module UserFunction is in the module group Special in
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DASYLab
the browser. If you insert the module in the worksheet and open the module
dialog box, the properties you programmed in the module function DlgInit
are on the tabs Module and Channel. Only the buttons OK, Cancel, and
Help remain from those of the editable script module. All functions for
editing a script have otherwise disappeared.
Use the configurator to install your own modules on a different computer.

Use the action Slot to generate a package definition for the new module.
This action not only copies the script package MyModule.dly on the
destination computer into the DASYLab folder, but also inserts the required
entry into the dasylab.ini at a free position in the [Extend] section.
Finally, create a configurator package with the filename extension .dlp. The
user then only has to double-click this configurator package on the
destination computer in order to add the new module to the already installed
DASYLab.

Configuring the Data Flow
7
DASYLab transports data in the worksheet in blocks from module to module.
DASYLab does not output a data block to the next module until the current
data block is completely filled with data. DASYLab distinguishes
measurement data, which are from the measurement devices and data sources
and which most modules output, spectral data which are the result of a fast
Fourier transform, and histogram data which contain the count results of a
classification. DASYLab outputs a time stamp, the sampling rate, and the
block size with every data block.
The size of the data blocks and the sampling rate determine the processing
speed, which in turn determines the data flow in the block diagram. The
Block size specifies how many values a data block contains. The Sampling
rate specifies how fast DASYLab generates data or requests the
measurement values from the board. The Response time in the block diagram
depends on the ratio between the block size and the sampling rate. Table 7-1
lists the response times for some block sizes and sampling rates.
Table 7-1. Response Time
Sampling rate Response time
Block size (1/Second) (Second)
1 1 1
1 1000 0,001
1000 1 1000
The response time specifies the period of time in which DASYLab accesses
all modules in a worksheet. Depending on the size of the worksheet and the
computer power, DASYLab cannot undershoot a certain limit.
If, for example, the worksheet comprises 100 modules and the specified
block size to sampling rate ratio is 0.001 s, DASYLab must process 100
modules in 1 millisecond. This leaves each module 10 microseconds to
process its data. DASYLab aborts the process because the time is too short.

Chapter 7 Configuring the Data Flow
Note The smaller the ratio between block size and sampling rate
is, the more often the worksheet gets updated. Use a ratio of
0.1 s to 1 s.
Click Measurement Setup on the function bar to specify the sampling

rate and the block size. You can specify the sampling rate and the
block size in the measurement settings dialog box or you only specify the
sampling rate and DASYLab specifies the block size as shown in Figure 7-1.
If you do not have hardware installed, DASYLab uses the computer clock as
the timer. If you specify a default driver under MeasurementSelect Driver,
you can use the hardware clock. The settings Driver buffer, Analog output,
and Digital output also refer to the default driver.
Figure 7-1. Measurement Settings of the Default Driver
Depending on the installed hardware, DASYLab provides further

timers apart from the system clock and the default driver clock. Click
Time Base Setup on the function bar to view the tabs of the available timers
and to change them. The DASYLab tab contains the system clock settings.
The Driver tab contains the default driver settings. If you install DLL drivers
with individual sampling rates such as NI-CAN or instruNet, the time base
settings dialog box also contains the tabs NI-CAN and instruNet.
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DASYLab
Optimizing Processing Time

The overall operating performance of DASYLab depends on the hardware
resources of the computer, on the data acquisition device, and on the
complexity of the worksheet. The following section provides tips on how to
increase the DASYLab operating speed.
Increase the amount of memory (RAM) on your computer. If you often
write into the Windows swap file, your system slows down.
The more powerful your computer is, the higher the sampling rates can
be.
Disable unnecessary display functions, such as the grid display in the
display windows.
Enable the fixed time base setting in the Axes menu.
If you measure with a high sampling rate (for example, to process high
frequencies with an FFT), you preserve DASYLab resources if you use
the Separate module. To do so, insert the Separate module, which only
lets every hundredth data block pass between the modules Analog
Input and FFT. DASYLab calculates an FFT for every hundredth data
block, which includes high frequencies due to the high sampling rate.
If the measurement does not require an online display, you can first save the
data in a file and later read and evaluate the data off-line.
Significant Digits
The accuracy with which DASYLab process data depends on the transferred
data type. The modules usually work with the 8-byte double data type,
whereas the data is transferred in the worksheet over connecting cables with
just 4-byte float. The accuracy of the float data type is altogether 6 places.
This means that measurements with results in the value range of 0 to 4000
are only correct up to 2 decimal places. All subsequent decimal places are
only an approximation.

The Module Groups
A
Twelve module groups with related modules contain the DASYLab
functions. The appendix provides an overview of the available modules and
their functions. The installed DASYLab license determines which modules
are available. Modules that are not part of your license are dimmed in the
browser. Refer to your DASYLab vendor to extend your DASYLab license.
The Input/Output Modules Group

The input/output modules group contains the hardware modules of the
installed hardware driver, and the interface modules for communication with
external devices and programs.
For example, if you have installed the NI-DAQmx driver for National
Instruments hardware, the associated modules are in the sub-folder
NI DAQmx. If you have installed the DAP driver for Microstar Laboratories
hardware, the associated modules are in the sub-folder DAP. If you have
installed the sound driver, you can select the sound driver under
MeasurementSelect Driver and access the associated modules in the sub-
folder Driver.
The interface modules are in sub-folders with respective names. The sub-
folder OPC DA Client contains the modules OPC Input and OPC Output
to exchange data with OPC servers, which are registered on the network or
the local computer, via the OPC interface.
The sub-folder DDE contains the modules DDE Input and DDE Output to
exchange data and commands with other programs via the DDE interface.
The sub-folder ICom contains the modules ICom Input and ICom Output
to exchange data and text in a network via the TCP/IP interface.
The sub-folder ModBus contains analog modules and digital modules to

communicate with PLCs via the ModBus protocol.
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | A-1

Appendix A The Module Groups
The sub-folder RS232 contains the modules RS232 Input and RS232
Output to exchange data and text with external measurement devices that are
connected to the serial interface.
The sub-folder IEEE 488 contains the modules IEEE488 Input and
IEEE488 Output to exchange data with external measurement devices
connected to IEEE boards.
The sub-folder IVI contains the modules IVI Counter, IVI DCPower,
IVI Digital Multimeter, IVI Switch, and IVI Scope which are based on the
respective class specifications of the IVI foundation.
The Trigger Functions Modules Group

The trigger functions modules group contains various trigger modules to
control the data flow in the worksheet with conditions. When the condition
is met, trigger modules output a TTL signal.
The Pre-/Post-Trigger module continuously monitors whether data

channels exceed limit values whereas the Start/Stop Trigger module checks
when data channels exceed a limit value the first time. The Combi Trigger
module continuously monitors the start condition and then the stop condition
of data channels.
The Sample Trigger module continuously monitors the duration of trigger

events, whereas the Trigger on Demand module monitors the increase or
decrease of successive measurement values.
The Relay module outputs the connected data channels when a trigger input
or an action meets the condition. Unlike the other trigger modules, the
module does not output TTL signals.
The Mathematics Modules Group

The mathematics modules group contains modules to process data channels
mathematically.
Use the Formula Interpreter to define your own formulas, to calculate data
channels, and to combine several data channels with each other. In the
Arithmetic module, you select predefined functions to calculate one data
channel or to link two channels. The Trigonometry module uses
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trigonometric functions for data channels and the Differentiation/

Integration module differentiates or integrates data channels.
To scale data channels you can use various modules: linear scaling, scaling
with table of reference points, thermocouple linearization, PT100/NI100
linearization, and offset adjustment.
The Comparator module compares one channel with a constant or two

channels with each other and outputs a TTL level if the values are similar,
equal, or greater. The Logical Operations module links TTL signals to each
other. The Flip Flop module provides the functionality of various flip flops
(D-Flip Flop, JK-Flip Flop, RS-Flip Flop, and Monoflop).
The Bit Mask module converts measurement values into binary numbers in
order to shift bits or to combine bits and to output the new values. The Gray
Code module uses the gray code to decode the angle encoder signals.
Use the Slope Limitation module, for example, to cut off peaks in a data
channel caused by outliers. The Reference Curve module calculates a
tolerance range for data channels and saves the mean values and the values
of the maximum and minimum curve in a file that the statistics module
Check Reference Curve and the display module Chart Recorder use.
The Statistics Modules Group

The statistics modules group contains modules for the statistical evaluation
of data channels.
The Statistical Values module calculates characteristic values for each data
block, such as the standard deviation, the variance, the mean value, the
minimum value, and the maximum value. To recognize and to output extreme
values in data blocks use the Minimum/Maximum module which, unlike
the Statistical Values module, can determine several extreme values in one
data block.
The Regression module calculates polynomials for approximation curves for

the incoming data. The Counter module counts data and events, such as
extreme values or level crossings, and rising or falling edges. The Sort
Channels module sorts values in data channels in ascending or descending
order. The Select Values module filters out single values based on their
position in the data block.

The Check Reference Curve checks whether data channels lie within a
tolerance range. The Pulse Analysis module evaluates pulse width
modulated signals statistically.
The Histogram Classification module calculates the single frequencies or

cumulative frequencies of the measurement values within specified classes.
The Rainflow Classification module runs classifications with one parameter
or two parameters. Use the Two Channel Classification module for two-
dimensional counting procedures, for example, to create a diagram of bearing
load rotational frequencies.
The Signal Analysis Modules Group

The signal analysis modules group contains modules for calculating
frequency components of signals or for analyzing the similarity of signals.
The FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) module transfers signals from the time
domain into the frequency domain. You can calculate real FFTs or complex
FFTs, or you can calculate an inverse FFT to transfer a signal from the
frequency domain into the time domain. The FFT Filter module filters
specific frequency components from the results of an FFT, whereas the
modules FFT Maximum and nHarmonic search for maximum values in the
FFT results. Use the Data Window module to multiply data channels with
non-periodic signals with a window function to prepare the data channels for
an FFT.
The Third/Octave Analysis module adds up the amplitude values of the FFT
in standardized logarithmic frequency intervals in order to determine the
volume in frequency ranges instead of the amplitude of each individual
frequency.
The Digital Filter module filters data channels with digital IIR filters. The
Correlation module uses the cross correlation to calculate the statistical
similarity of two data channels and uses auto-correlation to calculate how
well a data channel matches a time-shifted version of itself.
The Period Check module uses a specified zero line or reference line to
search for the first zero crossing of a signal.
The Harmonic Distortion calculates in the frequency range the amplitude

and the phase of the fundamental frequency and up to 48 harmonic
frequencies.
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The Electro Technical Characteristics module performs calculations from

two incoming current and voltage data channels for example, the power, the
phase angle, or the input frequencies.
The Polar/Cartesian module converts polar coordinates into cartesian

coordinates and vice versa.
The Resample module converts vibrations at a rotating axis into the rotation
angle, for example, the vibrations of an engine shaft.
The Control Modules Group

The control modules group contains modules for generating signals, for
controlling the data flow in the worksheet, and for executing control
functions.
The Generator module generates various signals such as rectangular signals,

sine signals, or sawtooth signals. The Sequence Generator module
generates time-dependent, analog set points and digital control commands
with a user-defined program. Use the modules Switch, Slider, and Coded
Switch to enter data manually during a measurement.
The Time Delay module outputs incoming data channels with a time delay.
The TTL Pulse Generator generates TTL signals time-dependent in order
to control processes. The Stop module terminates the measurement.
The Latch module outputs the last data value continuously, event-driven, or
after a signal at the control input. The Signal Router module distributes
incoming data values event-driven onto several outputs.
Use the modules PID Control and Two-Point Control to control processes.
The Write Global Variable module saves the incoming measurement values
in variables. The Write Block Time saves time information in strings. The
Read Global Variable module outputs values of variables to the worksheet.

The Display Modules Group

The display modules group contains modules for displaying measurement
values and results as complete blocks in separate display windows or in a
layout. You also can configure the display window during the measurement.
The modules Chart Recorder, Y/t Chart, and X/Y Chart display data
channels as curves. During the measurement you can zoom, scroll, and
measure these curves with cursor lines.
The Diagram module displays data channels as a chart recorder, a Y/t chart,
or as an x/y chart. You can group curves in axes systems as you like, and
zoom and measure the curves offline.
The Polar Plot module displays pairs of data channels such as the measured
volume around a dummy head and the corresponding angles as curves in a
polar diagram.
The modules Digital Meter and List display data channels numerically.
Use the bar display of the Bar Graph module and the pointer display of the
Analog Meter to display slow procedures. The analog meters, bar graphs,
and status displays are freely scalable and help visualize procedural
operations on test stands.
The Files Modules Group

The files modules group contains modules for reading and saving data.
The Read Data module reads ASCII, IEEE, FlexPro, and DASYLab DDF
file formats. The ODBC Input module reads data from ODBC databases.
The Write Data module saves data in ASCII, IEEE, DaDisp, DAP-Vector,
DASYlab DDF, NI TDM, and DIAdem DAT, Famos, FlexPro, nSoft, Remus
and SignalysDOS files. The ODBC Output module writes data into ODBC
databases.
The Backup Data module archives already saved data on external storage
media.
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The Data Reduction Modules Group

The data reduction modules group contains modules for reducing large data
quantities to specified characteristic values or data sections.
The modules Average and Block Average reduce data blockwise to mean
values or to extreme values.
Use the Separate module if the sampling rates are high in order to output just
one value from each data block or to output just one data block after a number
of rejected data blocks. The Cut Out module outputs only a specific number
of the first values in every data block.
The Multiplexer module combines several data channels into one data
channel whereas the Demultiplexer module distributes one data channel
onto several data channels either value-wise or blockwise.
The Signal Switch module changes the data input either time-controlled or
amplitude-controlled in order to only output data of the active data channel.
The Circular Buffer module saves incoming data and outputs the data
event-driven. In contrast the Shift Register module collects the values of
every data block and then outputs the new data block event-driven.
The Network Modules Group

The network modules group contains modules for exchanging data and
messages in networks. If your installation includes the DASYLab net license,
you can use up to 32 network modules in one worksheet.
Multiple DASYLab programs that are installed on different computers in one

network can communicate using the modules Net Input and Net Output.
Use the Message module to create messages or warnings which you can send
via the Message Output module to a Message Input module in the
worksheet on another computer in the network.
The modules DataSocket Import and DataSocket Export exchange data

with OPC servers and National Instruments DataSocket servers.

The Special Modules Group

The special modules group contains various modules with special functions
such as black boxes and actions.
Use the Empty Black Box module to create sub-worksheets in order to

structure complex worksheets and to increase the possible number of
modules in the worksheet. The Black Box module communicates with the
worksheet using the modules Export and Import, which can only be used
with black boxes.
Use the Action module to control event-driven procedures in the worksheet

modules and to create sequence controls. Use the Message module to
visualize and to document the defined actions on your computer. You send
messages with the E-Mail module.
The Time Base module generates time data or extracts time data from data
channels and the Signal Adaptation module synchronizes data channels
with different sampling rates to a common time base.
The Script module offers the basis for creating a module with user-defined
functions. You program the functions and properties in Python and register
the exported script packages in DASYLab.
The Add-On Modules Group

The add-on modules group contains modules that were created with the
DASYLab Extension Toolkit. You can purchase the add-on modules and
install the respective DLLs (Dynamic Link Library), or you can create your
own modules with the Extension Toolkit in order to extend the DASYLab
functionality.
The Convolution module weights a time function with other time functions,
for example, to filter the signal. The Weighting module evaluates data
blocks. The Transfer module uses the input signal and the output signal to
calculate the properties of the interjacent, linear, and time-invariant transfer
system.
The Universal Filter eliminates distorting frequency components with user-

defined digital filters. The Save Universal File module saves data in the
Universal File Format 58.
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Tips and Tricks
B
The following tips and tricks are designed to help you create and process
worksheets:
Order the modules on the screen neatly.
Create short connections between the modules and avoid superfluous
channel branches and channel crossings so that you can follow the data
flow in the worksheet.
Try to keep all channels that go from one module to the next parallel or
bundled.
Include as many channels as possible in a single display module. A
status display module with 16 data channels requires less computing
power than 16 individual status display modules.
Label your modules so that others can easily understand the functions
and tasks of the modules.
Save the development steps of your worksheets in files with successive
names. This allows you to go back to a previous development step.
Use black boxes to store tested subsets of the worksheet. This creates a
library of functions that you can re-use in other worksheets.
If you work with many black box modules, configure each with a
different background color. For example, choose darker colors the
deeper the black box lies in the worksheet.
Troubleshooting
The following section deals with frequently asked questions:
A worksheet is not loaded

I cannot load a worksheet I saved earlier. I am using the same hardware, but
DASYLab reports that this worksheet does not match the installed hardware.
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Appendix B Tips and Tricks
DASYLab does not save the measurement board settings with the worksheet.
If you made changes to your board settings since you last ran the worksheet,
DASYLab cannot recognize or reset the changes. In order to use the
worksheet again, you must restore the hardware settings to match the
worksheet. For example, switch the board from 8 DIFF to 16 SE and if
necessary, reactivate the expansion boards that were active when you saved
the worksheet.
Real time output yes or no?

I want to connect a switch module to a digital output. Should I select the
Output in real time option?
Whether or not you select this option depends on the output mode setting of
the digital output module. If the output is set to synchronous, output in real
time must be enabled. If the output is asynchronous, output in real time can
be disabled.
If Output in real time is not active, the data is generated as fast as possible,
usually faster than the synchronous digital output can process the data. If the
switch is toggled, the output first processes all the data held back before the
change can take effect.
If the output is asynchronous, the data is processed as quickly as it is

received;the data is not held back in the same way.
This tip applies also to any module that generates data (slider, generator,
switch) and is output to an analog output on the acquisition board.
Maximum worksheet size?

I want to build a complex worksheet and only can insert 256 modules in the
worksheet. How can I insert more modules?
Use the Black Box module to create one or more sub-worksheets. You can
find a black box under ModulesSpecial. You can create up to 256 modules
in a black box like in the main worksheet. You can insert a black box just like
any other module. Double-click the black box to open a sub-worksheet. Use
the Import/Export Modules to exchange data with the level above.
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Only 16 branches on a data channel?

I need to use a channel more than 16 times. How can I create more than 16
branches?
Use a mathematics module with the NOP function (No Operation). Connect
one of the data channel branches to this module and use the outputs for 16
more branches.
The display is too slow!

My worksheet takes too long to display the acquired data in the display
windows. What can cause that?
The following factors can slow down the display considerably:

Your block size is too big for the sampling rate.
You configured a separate module in such a way that it ignores a large
number of blocks. You will not see a response until the next data block
passes. The time behavior is the same in block-wise and sample-wise
separation.
The average module is configured to average blockwise and you did not
change the output block size to reflect the data reduction. The output
blocksize also affects a consecutive separate module that executes a
data-reduction blockwise.
You have specified a very high value for No. of blocks in the
modules Histogram or Statistical Values. The module needs a long
time to output the data.
If the hardware is incorrectly configured, data may not displayed
because the hardware is not acquiring data. Check the hardware settings,
especially the board type, the base address, the IRQ channel, and
possibly the DMA channel.
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | B-3

Index
A D
Action, 5-2 Data channel configuration, 2-5
Asynchronous, 5-3 Data flow, 2-2, 7-1
Print layout, 3-12 Measurement setup, 7-2
Synchronous, 5-2 Processing speed, 7-3
Analog meter, 3-8 Significant digits, 7-3
System clock, 7-2
B Data source
Bar graph, 3-8 Input/Output, 2-2
Black box, 2-6 DDE interface, 4-4
Creating inputs and outputs, 2-7 Default driver, 4-3
DAP boxes, 2-8 Diagram, 3-3
Export, 2-7 Digital meter, 1-8, 3-8
Block size, 7-1 Display, 1-1, 1-8, 3-1
Browser, 2-1 Analog meter, 3-8
Black box, 2-8 Bar graph, 3-8
Modules, 2-4 Chart recorder, 3-4
Navigator, 2-4 Create, 1-3
Diagram, 3-3
Digital meter, 3-8
C Layout, 3-10
Channel bar, 1-2, 2-5 List, 3-8
Channel properties, 6-2 Polar plot, 3-7
Chart recorder, 3-4 Status display, 3-9
Event search, 3-5 X/Y chart, 3-7
Coded switch, 3-10 Y/t chart, 3-5
Color sonogram, 3-6 Display window, 1-3, 3-1
Configurator, 4-1 Edit, 3-2
Connection, 2-3 DLL driver, 4-3
Disconnect, 2-3 Documentation frame, 2-2
Nodes, 2-2, 2-3
Control input, 5-1
Copying settings, 2-6
E
Event search, 3-5
Extension toolkit, A-8
External editor, 6-3
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | I-1

Index
F IVI interface, 4-6

FAQ, B-1
FIFO graph, 1-10 L
FIFO list, 1-10 Layout, 3-10
Formula Interpreter, 1-5 Full-screen mode, 3-12
Formula interpreter, 1-5 Graphic link, 3-12
Formulas, 1-6 Page settings, 3-11
Full-screen mode, 3-12 List, 3-8
G M
Generator, 1-2 Measurement setup, 7-2
Global string, 5-5 Module bar, 2-4
Export, 5-5 Module functions, 6-2
Global variable, 5-5 Modules, 1-1
Export, 5-5 Action, 5-2
Graphic link, 3-12 Add-on modules, A-8
Grid, 2-2 Configure, 2-4
Connect, 2-3
H Control, A-5
Hardware, 4-1 Control input, 5-1
Default driver, 4-3 Copy, 2-3
DLL driver, 4-3 Copying inputs, 2-2
Data reduction, A-7
Display, A-6
I Export, 2-7
IEEE488 interface, 4-6 Files, A-6
Information area, 2-1 Import, 2-7
Input instruments, 3-1 Increasing the number, 2-6
Coded switch, 3-10 Inputs and outputs, 2-4, 4-1, A-1
Slider, 3-10 Mathematics, A-2
Switch, 3-9 Module bar, 2-4
Installation Network, A-7
Configurator, 4-1 Overview, A-1
Interfaces, 4-1 Replace, 2-3
DDE, 4-4 Script, 6-1
IEEE-488, 4-6 Search, 2-4
IVI, 4-6 Signal analysis, A-4
ODBC/SQL, 4-5 Special, A-8
OPC, 4-5 Statistics, A-3
RS232, 4-5 Trigger functions, A-2
TCP/IP, 4-4
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O W
ODBC/SQL interface, 4-5 Waterfall diagram, 3-5
OPC interface, 4-5 Worksheet, 1-1, 2-1
Create, 1-2
P Modules, 2-1
Polar plot, 3-7 Tips on how to create, B-1
Precision, 7-3 Write data, 1-9
Predefined settings, 6-1
X
R X/Y chart, 3-7
Response time, 7-1
RS232 interface, 4-5 Y
Y/t chart, 3-5
S Color sonogram, 3-6
Sampling rate, 7-1 Waterfall diagram, 3-5
Script, 6-2
Script functions, 6-3
Script module, 6-1
Channel properties, 6-2
Default settings, 6-1
Export, 6-4
Programming, 6-2
Script package, 6-4
Sequence control, 5-3
Significant points, 7-3
Slider, 3-10
Status display, 3-9
Sub-worksheet, 2-6, 2-7
Switch, 3-9
Synchronous actions, 5-2
System clock, 7-2
T
TCP/IP interface, 4-4
National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | I-3

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Selecting Input Modules ............................................................................ 3-9

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This icon denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information.

This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important

italic Italic text denotes emphasis, new terms, a cross reference, or an

DASYLab has a number of measurement, control, and analysis modules:

Tip Appendix A, The Module Groups, lists all available

National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | 1-1

Creating a Simple Worksheet

c. Click OK to confirm the default setting. DASYLab inserts the

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Figure 1-2. Displaying Generated Signals

7. Right-click the Y/t Chart display window workspace to change the

Figure 1-3. Color and Line Display of a Display Window

Tip You also can press <F5> to start the measurement,

National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | 1-5

Tip To delete a data channel, right-click the data channel twice

9. Stop the measurement after some time.

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Inserting Digital Instruments

Figure 1-6. Displaying Numeric Data in the Digital Meter

7. Stop the measurement after some time.

Saving Measurement Data

National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited | 1-9

2. Double-click the Digital Meter module to open the dialog box.

Figure 1-7. The Worksheet Displays and Saves Data

5. Stop the measurement after some time.

Note You can examine the contents of every data channel

displays various parameters of this data channel such as the

2. Enter MyWorksheet as the filename.

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Inserting and Connecting Modules

Activate the grid display in OptionsGlobal Setup to make it easier to

You can connect modules semi-automatically or manually. If you want to

Use the manual connection method if you want to branch a data

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Using the Browser and the Module Bars

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If you use a certain module configuration regularly, for example, the

If a hardware channel is disabled, the channel bar of the hardware

Creating Partial Solutions in Black

To insert a black box in the worksheet, select SpecialEmpty

You establish a connection to the main worksheet or to the higher-ranking

Black boxes divide complex worksheets into functional sub-worksheets,

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<Language>\Blackbox and Windows XP C:\Documents and

To insert a black box into a worksheet, select MyBlackbox on the Black

The DAP box is a special black box which offers an individual

Display Windows and Input

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To open all windows simultaneously, click Restore All Windows on

If you connect several data channels to these display instruments, which

Selecting Display Modules

To inspect the curve sections in detail and to review already displayed

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